In honor of Earth Day, I wanted to share an article written by my former colleague Ross Robertson for EnlightenNext magazine called “A Brighter Shade of Green: Rebooting Environmentalism for the 21stCentury.” His brilliant insights about this important topic really changed the way I think about the environmental challenges that we’re facing. In fact, through many conversations with him, he brought me to see these challenges in a completely new way. He opened my eyes … [Read more...]

Over the past couple of years, my thinking has been greatly influenced by the "Prophets of Progress"—people like Stephen Pinker, Matt Ridley, Stephen Johnson, Hans Rosling, and Peter Diamandis to name a few. And I have written about their ideas extensively on this blog. Personally, I've been inspired by their persistent optimism about where we're headed in the future, even in the face of so much pessimism in progressive culture today.My student and colleague Carter Phipps, who is the author o … [Read more...]

I’m an amateur jazz drummer.Last night, as I was surfing my favorite drumming site, drummerworld.com, I came upon the most astounding video. Four very young Japanese women all dressed in punk-chic attire playing the most powerfully virtuosic and soulful jazz I’d heard in a long time:Seeing this video really got me thinking about how much the world is really changing. Let me see . . .The most popular rapper in the world right now is South Korean superstar PSY, whose hit “Gangnam St … [Read more...]

I recently published a post titled, “The World is Getting Worse (And Other Lies)” in which I shared some inspiring data and anecdotes that have helped me to embrace what I consider to be “The Good News of Progress.” What does that mean? In short, the world is getting better—not worse, as many often suggest these days. . . especially as we've neared the dreaded apocalypse date of December 21st, 2012. In response to the post, I received a wide range of very … [Read more...]

Like millions of other Americans over Thanksgiving weekend, I went to see Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, Lincoln. I was mesmerized by Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal of the great statesman. I was also deeply moved by the thrilling depiction of the moral awakening at the film’s climax, in which the 13th Amendment for the abolition of slavery was passed by the House of Representatives. But there was something else about the film that struck me even more. And that was a … [Read more...]

**Editor’s Note: The following is the final installment of a three-part series of articles written by Andrew Cohen during his recent trip to India. Presented in Q&A format, they include Cohen’s reflections on the significant spiritual and cultural changes that are occurring amidst India’s rapid modernization. Read part one, “Overpopulation, Anxiety, and Enlightenment: The Changing Soul of Modern India,” here and part two, “The Spiritual Challenge for India’s Next Generation,” here. … [Read more...]

**Editor’s Note: The following is the second in a three-part series of articles written by Andrew Cohen during his recent trip to India. Presented in Q&A format, they include Cohen’s reflections on the significant spiritual and cultural changes that are occurring amidst India’s rapid modernization. Read part one'Overpopulation, Anxiety, and Enlightenment: The Changing Soul of Modern India'here. Question: What do you feel is the biggest spiritual and existential chall … [Read more...]

**Editor’s Note: The following is the first in a three-part series of articles written by Andrew Cohen during his recent trip to India. Presented in Q&A format, they include Cohen’s reflections on the significant spiritual and cultural changes that are occurring amidst India’s rapid modernization. Question: How has India changed over the years since you first started visiting?Answer: India seems more connected with the whole world today. When I first came to Mother … [Read more...]